2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ganues
A surname referring to someone who lived by a river or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Ganues. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ganues surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Ganues in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganues, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ganues
The surname GANUES has its origins in Spain, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Spanish word "gana," which means desire or longing. The name may have been initially given to someone with a strong desire or ambition.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the GANUES surname can be found in the Catalan Manuscripts of Barcelona, where a certain Juan GANUES was documented as a merchant in the year 1472. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region during that time.
In the 16th century, the GANUES family was known to have settled in the town of Villanueva de la Serena, located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. The town's name, which translates to "New Town of the Plain," may have influenced the spelling variation "GANUES" from the original "GANA."
During the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the GANUES surname was Diego GANUES (1612-1678), a Spanish playwright and poet who gained recognition for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature. His plays, such as "El Desdén con el Desdén" (Disdain Met with Disdain), explored themes of love, honor, and social class.
In the 18th century, the GANUES family spread across various regions of Spain, including Andalusia and Catalonia. One notable member was Alonso GANUES (1738-1802), a renowned sculptor from Seville, whose works adorned numerous churches and public buildings throughout Andalusia.
The 19th century saw the GANUES name cross international borders, with some members of the family migrating to the Americas. One such individual was Emilio GANUES (1824-1892), a Cuban-born painter and artist who gained recognition for his landscape and portrait works in the United States.
Throughout its history, the GANUES surname has been associated with various occupations, from merchants and artists to writers and sculptors. While the name may have originated from a humble meaning, it has left an indelible mark on the cultural and artistic landscapes of Spain and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ganues
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganues, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ganues bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ganues surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.0% · 61
- Black or African American36.4% · 39
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ganues
Ganues appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,685 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,685 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ganues surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ganues bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Ganues surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ganues?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Ganues. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Ganues?
Ganues ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Ganues. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ganues.
Has Ganues become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ganues went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Ganues?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganues, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ganues in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.0% (61 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ganues appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.0%), Black (36.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ganues (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ganues mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived by a river or stream. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ganues (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Ganues?
Want to know how many people have the last name Ganues? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.